A small stringed instrument or little lyre; in historical contexts, also a torture device with strings that could be tightened to inflict pain.
From Latin fidicula (diminutive of fidis, meaning lyre). The word's application to torture instruments shows the dark Roman sense of humor and repurposing of objects.
Fidicula is etymology's cruelest joke—the word for a beautiful small lyre also named a torture device. It's a reminder that the same principles (tension and control) can create music or agony.
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